Rugby Player – World Cup Players

The Rugby World Cup brings expectation and hope not only to the supporters but also to our World Cup Players. Stand Shoulder to Shoulder and cheer on our boys in Green with this commemorative artwork featuring all 31 players from the Irish 2015 squad.

The Ireland National Rugby Union Team represents the island of Ireland (both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) in rugby union. The team competes annually in (and are current holders of) the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright and shared eight times. The team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions (1999 and 2007). Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions.

Ireland’s highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015.As of 1 November 2015, Ireland are 6th in the world rankings.

Eight former Ireland players have earned induction into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, with five of them also having earned induction into the World Rugby Hall of Fame; one other former player is a member of the World Rugby Hall only. Former outside centre and captain Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland’s all-time leader in tries scored, was considered one of the best rugby players in the world,and led Ireland to only their second Grand Slam in 2009.